Wadmalaw Island – SC Picture Projecthttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos
The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 14:48:17 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/wp-content/uploads/cropped-sciwayicon-32x32.jpgWadmalaw Island – SC Picture Projecthttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos
3232Mt. Zion Churchhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/mt-zion-church.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/mt-zion-church.html#commentsFri, 20 May 2016 16:45:19 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=65190This rural church on Wadmalaw Island is the site of a denomination called the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. A pentecostal group, the denomination was founded in 1930 by Sherrod Johnson when he left his previous church, Greater Refuge Temple. The latter church was formed in 1919 in New York. The two churches reconciled following the death of Robert Lawson, the founder of the Greater Refuge Temple, in 1961. Today, the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith is headquartered at the Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem, New York. The church is composed primarily of African-American members and is governed by a Board of Apostles. A tenet of the church is that there is only one holy spirit – God – as opposed to a trinity. This type of belief system is called “oneness pentecostalism.”

The denomination requires women to cover their heads during worship. Though women of the church are not ordained, they still hold various leadership roles in the congregation, particularly in the realm of mission. The church building seen here was built in 1930 and for years operated as a store as well as a residence. One account of the property’s history claims that the owners leased it to the church during the 1980s and 1990s. However, another version states that the building was sold to the church in 1977. The latter account was relayed by a relative of the building’s former owner. Today it sits vacant.

We would like to make this page better. Do you have information about the Mt. Zion Church that you would like to share? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/mt-zion-church.html/feed/2Wadmalaw Islandhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/wadmalaw-island.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/wadmalaw-island.html#commentsWed, 31 Aug 2011 20:18:55 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=13134Wadmalaw Island is located just 30 minutes south of Charleston. Originally home to the Cusabo Indians, the island was claimed by English explorer Robert Sanford in 1666.

Bordered by Bohicket Creek to the east and the Wadmalaw Sound to the west, the island’s only connection to land is a bridge over Church Creek to neighboring Johns Island. Wadmalaw has remained intensely rural over the years, with farming, fishing, and shrimping serving as the traditional occupations of its residents.

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/wadmalaw-island.html/feed/1Charleston Tea Plantationhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/charleston-tea-plantation.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/charleston-tea-plantation.html#commentsWed, 26 Jul 2000 18:10:54 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=6882After water, tea is the most popular beverage on earth. People drink it far and wide, on every continent and in every country, and it’s often associated with such exotic locales as China, Kenya, India, and Peru. Thanks to a small farm on Wadmalaw Island, we can now add South Carolina to that list. The Charleston Tea Plantation, owned in part by the renowned R. C. Bigelow & Company, is the only place in North America that produces black tea commercially.

Tea, South Carolina’s official state hospitality beverage,(1) has a long and colorful history in our state. In 1791(2), French botanist Andre Michaux brought the Camellia sinensis plant to his friend Henry Middleton, future governor and heir to Middleton Plantation in Dorchester County. Tea has since become a veritable staple in the Lowcountry, where the soil is sandy, the air is humid, and tropical temperatures prevail.

Of course, this doesn’t mean growing tea in these parts has come easily. Farm after farm collapsed before finally – after nearly two centuries of trial – horticulturalist Mack Flemming and his partner William Hall claimed success with their brand, American Classic. Together the two men took over the former Lipton Research Station on Wadmalaw, cultivating cuttings from plants once grown at Pinehurst Tea Gardens in Summerville.

Interestingly, though Pinehurst ceased operations nearly a century ago and the land has long since been carved into neighborhoods, residents still find tea growing wild in their backyards. Because the plants have acclimated to our climate over time, their cuttings are stronger and more likely to survive than those from imported varieties.

Fleming and Hall split their company several years ago, and Hall, a third-generation tea taster trained in England, approached the Bigelow family to help save the land from developers. Ruth Bigelow’s daughter flew down from Connecticut to bid on the plantation at auction, and its future was secured. Since 2003, Hall and Bigelow have managed the plantation jointly.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is open to visitors who can view the factory, take a trolley tour of the fields, browse the gift shop, and best of all – sample the tea. After all, tea tastes best when it’s fresh, which gives a cup “born and brewed” in South Carolina a distinct advantage. Visitors can also attend the annual First Flush Festival in May, a large concert organized by the owners to celebrate their spring harvest. October is also a great month to visit the Charleston Tea Plantation. Butterflies abound along the coast this time of year, and the tea plants attract them by the hundreds with their small white blooms.

http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/charleston-tea-plantation.html/feed/3Irvin-House Vineyard Photoshttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/irvin-house-vineyard.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/irvin-house-vineyard.html#respondWed, 12 Jul 2000 16:07:02 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=6792Irvin-House Vineyards is located on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston. The owners host an annual Grape Stomping Festival in celebration of their harvest. Four varieties of muscadine grapes are grown throughout the 48-acre vineyard, from which five varieties of wine are carefully crafted.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

The vineyard is a member of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Farmer’s Association. The Heritage Corridor cuts across 240 miles, including coastal regions, mountains, and plains.

Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Winery and Tasting Room at Irvin-House Vineyards. Here, they are allowed to sample each of the five wines and purchase bottles to take home with them. There is also an assortment of gifts and locally produced food items.